It's Time to Go, Go, Goess!

ARCA Season Opener is This Week

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The season opener for the ARCA RE/MAX Series couldn't have come soon enough for Craig Goess, Jr.  Goess has been sitting idle since October of 2008 when he competed in the NASCAR East Series' final event of the year.  Goess is anxious to make his return to the track for some high-speed action and it couldn't be any better than to start the 2009 season at the Daytona International Speedway this Saturday.

“I've been going stir crazy sitting at home these last few months,” said Goess, 27.  “I'm used to racing all the time and to go a couple months without a race has seemed like an eternity.  I'm definitely anxious to get to Daytona on Wednesday and get on the track Thursday.”

Goess, a resident of Greenville, N.C., is making his series debut this weekend in the ARCA RE/MAX Series' Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200.  Goess is driving for Eddie Sharp Racing, one of the most acclaimed teams in the series.  Goess will be piloting the No. 81 Greenville Toyota/Team ESR Toyota for the entire 25-race schedule.

Before heading into this weekend's race, Goess was able to participate in the series' open test in December and was also able to practice at the Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last month.  Both tests proved beneficial, as Goess was able to learn about the cars, tracks, aerodynamics, and speeds of superspeedway and restrictor plate racing.  The team, led by crew chief Patrick Donahue, made several changes between the tests to the cars and Goess was able to adapt quickly when the No. 81 Toyota got on track at Talladega.

“Heading into Daytona, we're not making a whole lot of changes from what we had on

the car when we left Talladega,” Goess explains.  “We were pretty happy with how everything turned out at the last test session.  We might've changed a few little things, but for the most part, we're going with what we had after both tests.  The race motors are in the cars and we should be good.”

Goess will certainly be good, if not great!  Goess has the expertise of car owner Eddie Sharp, a former competitor, as well as crew chief Patrick Donahue, who was awarded the Crew Chief of the Year Award in 2008 for directing Scott Speed's ARCA effort.  Goess will also have three other teammates (Steve Arpin, Tim George, Jr. and Justin Lofton) in the race and that will definitely be beneficial when it comes to drafting.

Goess, a former Legends Cars competitor, teamed with Eddie Sharp Racing last year to compete in the NASCAR Camping World East Series.  He finished the season with eight top-15 finishes, with a career best finish of fifth coming at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park.  He also finished 12th in the final points standings despite missing an event.  Goess decided to make the move to the ARCA RE/MAX Series for 2009 because of the heavier schedule and the opportunity to compete on tracks over a mile in length.

“The switch to the ARCA RE/MAX Series was an easy decision,” said Goess.  “ARCA offers a heavier schedule and a lot more different tracks than the East Series does. As far as size goes, I'll be competing at places like Talladega, Daytona, and Pocono. The biggest track in the East Series was a mile, so that kind of limited me as a driver as far as what my experience can be.  To try to get to the next level after ARCA, it's best if I put myself on mile and a half and two-mile race tracks just to get the experience on my end.”

After utilizing the No. 2 in the NASCAR East Series, Goess will return to his No. 81 he had while competing in the Legends Cars.  The car will also be sponsored by Greenville Toyota, a supporter of Goess' for years.

“If we run half as well as the cars look, we'll be really good,” stated Goess.

Goess will take the No. 81 Greenville Toyota-Toyota around the ultra-fast Daytona International Speedway for the first time this Thursday for a five hour practice session running from 12 noon until 5:00 p.m.  Qualifying takes place on Friday at 12 noon to determine the starting line up for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200.  A final practice is set for Friday evening following qualifying.  Driver introductions begin at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday with the green flag waving at 4:15 p.m. for 80 laps/200 miles of racing.

ARCARacing.com will have live timing and scoring of the event if you cannot catch the LIVE action on SPEED channel beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.  ARCARacing.com will also have LIVE audio coverage of the practice sessions and qualifying, as well as the thrilling race.

Stay tuned to CraigGoess.com for more updates.